


Letting People Down Is My Thing, Baby

by cardel



Series: Burn Everything You Love, Then Burn The Ashes [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Derek learn to use your words!, Established Relationship, M/M, One-Shot, SPOILERS for ALL of season 3 as episodes air, Stand Alone, a wee bit of fluff, sort of but not really fix it fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-16 16:26:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/864123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cardel/pseuds/cardel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Tell me.”  So Derek does.  Derek tells Stiles about his encounter with Deucalion and the other Alphas about what Deucalion wants him to do and how Derek can’t let that happen.</p>
<p>However, what he doesn’t tell Stiles is that there are already too many deaths on his hands.  Derek isn’t sure he could handle another member of his pack dying because of him let alone killing them himself. Derek doesn’t trust himself, he can’t say with any confidence that he wouldn’t kill anyone in his pack when the cold truth is that he could. The remains of his home stand as a monument to that testament.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ispired by S3E04. Unbeta'd. Originally posted to my [my tumblr](http://threwcautiontothewind.tumblr.com/post/54224992856/fic)
> 
> And I'm all caught up, yay!

Rain continues to come down in sheets.  The thunder and the howling wind outside make the window panes in front of Derek tremble and the entire building groans loudly.  The sound, however, is not enough to drown out the hurried steps and thumping heart beat racing towards him.

“So,” Stiles says in lieu of a greeting as he walks into the loft.  “Scott just called me, pissed as hell because Isaac showed up at his house asking for a place to stay.  And I wondered, why would Isaac do that when he lives with Derek?  You got an answer for me?”

“I had to kick him out,” Derek tells him.

“Had to?”  Stiles asks.

Derek nods; he sees Stiles’ reflection on the window and watches him walking closer.  “Why?”

“To protect him.”  Stiles stops walking, they make brief eye contact in their reflections.  He’s not sure what Stiles sees but he knows what it makes him feel, sadness. 

When Stiles reaches him, he wraps his arms around Derek from behind.  As much as Derek doesn’t want to because he doesn’t deserve this, he lets himself sink into the familiar comfort of Stiles’ embrace.

“Tell me.”  So Derek does.  Derek tells Stiles about his encounter with Deucalion and the other Alphas about what Deucalion wants him to do and how Derek can’t let that happen.

However, what he doesn’t tell Stiles is that there are already too many deaths on his hands.  Derek isn’t sure he could handle another member of his pack dying because of him let alone killing them himself. Derek doesn’t trust himself, he can’t say with any confidence that he wouldn’t kill anyone in his pack when the cold truth is that he could. The remains of his home stand as a monument to that testament.

Stiles would disagree and argue into an unwinnable shouting match. Derek doesn’t want that and instead tells Stiles a watered down truth, “I had to do something to make sure he wouldn’t come back. Isaac is my Beta, the instinct to protect me, his Alpha, overrules his own safety to the point that he would die rather than betray or hurt me.”

Stiles' arms tighten around him as he says, “You have to know that that’s not the only reason Isaac wouldn’t betray or hurt you though.”

Derek nods, he knows this, Isaac trusted him before Derek turned him and that trust makes him even more loyal to Derek. Loyalty to the Alpha is always desired but in this case it will only serve to get Isaac killed. “That is exactly why he is in even more danger than Boyd or Cora. That’s why I need him to stay away.”

“We’ll get through this,”  Stiles whispers.  Derek is silent.

Stiles huffs when Derek doesn’t answer.  He steps in front of Derek, takes his face in his hands and repeats, “We _will_ get through this.”  

Stiles tilts his head up slightly, Derek follows the move, moving the extra inch separating them.  He kisses Stiles softly letting the touch be a comfort for both of them.  Derek kisses Stiles slowly, carefully, until Stiles’ chilled lips from being outside warm up and Stiles whimpers into Derek’s lips. 

Pulling back from the kiss, Stiles sighs, “I have to go before my Dad gets home,” he tells Derek.  “Call me if anything else comes up.  I really don’t like to hear about things involving you second hand.”

“Same goes for you.”  Stiles nods in agreement and gives Derek a lingering hug before he leaves.

Derek watches him close the door behind him.  He hears Stiles walk out to his car, opening and closing the door, starting the engine and drive away.  He keeps listening until the jeep is too far away for him to hear and still he stares at the closed door.

“That one is stubborn; I like him,” Cora’s voice breaks through his thoughts.  “Which begs the question: What brilliant idea could you be thinking about to push him away?”

Instead of saying anything Derek goes back to looking out the window.  In the reflection of the widow he sees Cora shake her head.

“Whatever it is, you better be damn convincing because that one,” she says pointing to where Stiles exited.  “He knows you, Derek.”

Derek swallows. Cora is right, Stiles does know Derek, just as much as Derek knows Stiles.  Derek knows that playing into Stiles’ lingering insecurities; that he is not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, will be the most difficult thing Derek will have to do.  Derek knows without a doubt this will mean losing Stiles but it will also mean, most importantly, that Stiles will be alive because the alternative to Stiles being alive will never be an option.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a real chapter, just an alternate version.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just an alternate version. Call it a "B-Side" I suppose :). At the very least it's a lot less angst.

Stiles is leaning against his jeep where it’s parked next to Derek’s car in the back parking lot of the school. Derek is walking towards him and has just stopped in front of Stiles when Stiles ask, “Well?”

“She’s fine, she’s not going to say anything,” Derek tells him.

“In which you mean, you glared her into not saying anything,” Stiles says head shaking in disapproval.

 Derek smirks at him. “She was nervous but only about her lack of lesson plan. You’re going to be talking about The Crucibles; she didn’t know what she would say about it. I told her to tell you it’s an allegory for McCarthyism, that’s all.”

Stiles gives Derek a disbelieving look. “Uh-huh and,” Stiles insists.

“And,” Derek begins. “The fact that she thought it was a subtle threat for her to not say anything is just a bonus.”

“One of these days, your report card will read; plays well with others.”

“I play well with you," Derek's tone is light, a little playful and a whole lot of hot.

Stiles can feel his face burning red with all the bad thoughts running through his head. His mouth opens and closes unable to form words. Derek’s smile gets wider before he steps forward, and kisses Stiles’ slack lips, a quick teasing of lips before he's stepping back.

“You’re going to be late for class,” Derek throws over his shoulder as he gets into his car.

“You can’t just,” Stiles begins just as the warning bell decides to interrupt.

“Stiles, go!”

Stiles groans in frustration. “Argh, okay!” He begins to make his way towards the school. He’s only taken a few steps when he stops, spins on his heels, turns back around and points an accusatory finger at Derek.

“I’m only going because I’m late and not because you’re telling me to.” Stiles turns back around and promptly does not stomp away, thank you very much.

Also, Stiles thinks, he must be developing werewolf abilities through osmosis or something because he could swear he hears Derek laughing at him all the way inside the school and down the hallways to his locker.

The second warning bell rings and he runs down the hall and into Ms. Blake’s class, only to see his teacher staring out the window with a faraway look on her face, like she’s daydreaming. Her lips curve up into a soft smile and she sighs before she blinks herself back into reality and seems startled to find a room full of students.

Stiles frowns and ignores the weird punched-out feeling in his stomach by going to take his seat and pretending to read his book. Class starts, Stiles soon gets bored and tries to keep himself busy by attempting to catch Scott’s attention.

“Mr. Stilinski,” Ms. Blake’s voice startles Stiles into turning back to the front of the class.

“Umm, me, yes, that’s me,” he mumbles bashful at being caught not paying attention.

“The Crucibles, care to discuss your point of view with the class?”

Stiles sits up in his chair, he grabs a pencil in between hin hands and begins tapping the end of it on his lips. Ms. Blake crosses her arms in front of her and gives him an expectant look.

“Well,” Stiles begins. “I think it has a running theme of intolerance in a town that lives in a very black and white world. People fall under good or evil and those braded as having been tainted by evil need to be punished and eliminated. Giving justification to the witch trials, which are nothing more than a front for eventually punishing anyone who doesn’t fall into the image of morality the town people claim to up hold. When in reality, they just get off on knowing people act out on their desires and then get off even more on punishing them for it.”

Stiles loves it when his teachers try and call him out, in an attempt to make an example out of him. To show other students what happens when they don’t do their work. Ms. Blake seems nice but she needs to learn, that Stiles, despite his spastic attention span, is not one of those kids. It’s like his very own crucible, he wonders if Ms. Blake sees and appreciates the parallels.

Recovering from her surprise she smiles at him. “That is an interesting point of view,” She says and begins to speak further when Stiles cuts her off.

“Or if you want a more eloquent answer,” he says unable to help himself. “A friend once told me, it’s also an allegory for McCarthyism.”

Ms. Blake stops, uncrosses her arms, a small shocked look takes over her features. She stares open mouthed at Stiles for a full second before she blinks.  
“That is, also, a good point,” She says slowly, “You have a very smart friend.”

Stiles lets his lips curl up into a small smile, he snorts and says, “Yeah, he likes to think he is,” he says giving her a “what can you do” shrug.

Ms. Blake clears her throat and turns back to the board and begins writing down notes. Stiles’ smile stays on.

**Author's Note:**

> Why can’t I write real happy/fluffy fix-it fics?!?!?! *cries fangirl tears that Jeff Davis will [just drink](http://teenwolf.tumblr.com/post/52009138241/i-hear-that-jeff-davis-lives-off-the-tears-of-fangirls) to write more tear inducing episodes*


End file.
